The Order of the Machinist
The Order of the Machinist “Don’t you understand, you fools? You are all doomed! When your kind are devoured by the Thii, do you think it will be flesh that remains? No, of course not! It will be metal and stone and more besides! Life is weak!" ''-Aeternia Orichalkos'' The Order of the Machinist, lead by Aeternia Orichalkos, is a group of malcontents and mind-controlled thralls who either worship, or are under the immortal servitude of, Aeternia. While Aeternia isn’t actually a goddess, her extreme power and intellect have gained her an exceptional following nonetheless. The Order is based in the Teln Mountains; there is a fortress there which contains the necessary equipment to perform the alterations that the Order inflicts upon their captives. It isn’t certain whether or not they have other bases, but it is very likely. The Order are founded on the belief that replacing one's body systematically with mechanical augmentations is the true path to physical perfection. Machinists The machinists of the Order wear blue robes, and occasionally have the clockwork symbol of the order somewhere on their person. They have minor augmentations, usually to replace lost limbs or organs rather than deliberately damaging themselves to accommodate them. Occasionally, however, some members of the order allow their limbs to be replaced with longer mechanical ones, which increases their size and allows them to wield larger weaponry. Thralls Thralls are usually heavily augmented, with little of their original humanoid forms remaining: usually just their torso and head at most. Their legs are replaced either with mechanical legs or with tracks, and their arms with a variety of tools or weaponry. Thralls are usually either built for combat or for mechanical assistance, not for both. Insurgents “Next time we meet, though… I’m not sure if I’ll have time for games. Goodbye, heroes. It was nice to meet you...” ''- Aeternia Orichalkos'' Machinist insurgents are those who are primarily responsible for the attacks on villages and small towns, which lead to the kidnapping of civilians to convert them into Aeternia’s thralls. Insurgents have a variety of different levels of skill, but all of them are well-equipped, with magi-technological firearms that can burn a hole in anything they hit. Disciples of the Gear The disciples of the gear are a monastic tradition dedicated to the Order. Little is known about them, as they have only been encountered once so far by the heroes of Oustomia, but they seem to focus on using their augmented arms to fight, rather than carrying weapons – a grim parody of the standard monastic practices which use the body as a weapon. Sunstorm Cannon “So predictable. Rushing towards your death with gleeful satisfaction like lambs to slaughter! Burn, BURN!” ''-Aeternia Orichalkos'' "Don't thank me! 'Cause you already fell for the trap!" ''- Reinhart'' The Order also possesses a weapon called the Sunstorm Cannon. While powerful, it is useful primarily against stationary targets as it takes a long time to charge each shot. When it fires, a beam of light with the force of a localised solar flare descends on the target, searing through whatever is beneath and lighting the entire area on fire. Aeternia Orichalkos “Your world is doomed. Fleshlings eating fleshlings, Prospero in flames… but even the Thii are weak. Flesh feeds on flesh, but machines feed on power, and power springs eternal! You and your kind are all doomed! But I, I will become one with the machines!” ''- Aeternia'' Little is known about the actual capabilities of the leader of the Order, but she is known to be both powerful and influential. Further, her augmentation skills improved from clockwork-like arms stuck onto arm stumps, to perfectly responsive mechanical limbs, in a matter of weeks. She has even managed to augment herself, replacing one of her arms with a mechanical replica bearing a sharp claw. She is also a powerful spellcaster capable of teleportation: the particular spell she uses to achieve this and the rest of the spells she has access to are not known. Aeternia seems to believe that living things are weak, and that even the Thii, who threaten the safety of the whole world, are nothing before her might. She regards the fights between her thralls and followers and the heroes of Oustomia as little more than games or tests, which she watches with interest while taunting her opponents. Her exact goals are unknown, but it’s a certainty that they have something to do with her obsession with mechanical perfection. Aedifex Amaranthia "Beats blowing my hands off, I suppose." ''- Alkali'' Aedifex Amaranthia is the only person who is known to have left the Order, and one of the few to escape one of their fortresses. Several Oustomian heroes were freed by Aedifex when they were kidnapped by the Order, and together they escaped the fortress. Originally, Aedifex joined the Order to help people who had lost their limbs or organs by providing them with new ones, but she quickly learned of the true horrors that lay behind closed steel gates. Now she is one of its enemies, and the person who knows most about its capabilities. History "I'll catch you, freak!" "I look forward to being caught. Until then, heroes." ''- Reinhart and Aeternia.'' Initial reports of the Order came from Anvildor, after their authorities managed to pinpoint an advance base which had been connected to the disappearance of many civilians, both from Anvildor and from villages around Haven. A quick scouting mission by several heroes was met with unexpected resistance via both powerful technological equipment and as-yet-unheard-of magical capabilities. A more powerful team was called in, and the forward base was destroyed. The Order was thought to be defeated, until its true scale was revealed. Several Oustomian heroes were among the next to be captured for “Augmentation”. Fortunately, the actions of Aedifex Amaranthia – and the heroes themselves – allowed them to escape. The next encounter with the Order was when they attacked, and destroyed, a small village in the Teln mountains. None of the bodies of the populace were ever encountered, and the Sunstorm Cannon was brought out in full force, igniting buildings, trees and the odd centaur. During the battle, Aeternia mocked the heroes, taunting them by saying that they were nothing more than interesting playthings to her and using the destruction of Prospero as an example of the heroes’ inability to save what they aimed to protect. Category:Organizations